Living 100% off grid,alone, old, on social security. 4 years now. Been trying to find others to join me. Cheap way to live. Most don't want to make an effort or let go of the grid. Their future is very dark. Do it now, before it's too late.
I've been trying to get others to do just anything better ,and its impossible,and its insane for myself to keep it up ,so I'm too on SSI and heading your way now . I think getting a sliver of what I really want is the best thing for me at this point I'm not old but being not working even short times destroys the human body. I've done all I can with what I had to for my 2 family members but it's all they want to do is toss me out of all my work I've done here without no help. I could stay and fight but I don't care to for myself nothing is worth giving what I've already have to then live mad at the world waking up as both they do.❤ Good luck God bless !
I subbed to you and seen your " for the sheriff's" video I'm so sorry your being targeted I have to 5 years only 5 hours sleep nightly that's what else I been trying to tell people. It's land grabbing its agenda and most sheriff's are in this behavior they break in house with cut keys to unscrew light in freezer when u go to grocery store they poach deer all year feeding them while on drug pointing a high powered rif le in my back door kitchen 30 yards back 15 feet up in a tree we took photos of his wifi with address name etc the other one I uploaded video of attempted kidnapping and assault the sheriff acted it was my 80 year old mother fault 4 sheriff they put toxins in water well pump too much to list but will say he worked as a security guard under a buddy of mine uncle whom they are related to Edwin Edwards a old mayor in New Orleans Louisiana
That is where I'm trying to get. I've been somewhat off grid, I have electricity. Have the same situation as otherwise as you do. Been looking for people to come together, but they don't see what's happening. Just yesterday, my youngest brother had stated he wanted to be on his own off grid. He is good at a lot of things, and if we can make this happen, it would be wonderful. If you don't mind me asking, what state are you in?
On SS 5 yrs now. working on getting back to property, I hope before summers is over. Yes the future is dark with close to 50 million illegals'. Just think what they will do to keep their 2200 a month, their free laptop, their free rent, free medical and cell phone all disappear. What kind of evil will be set lose. At 3 trillion in interest every 3 months, it should crash soon. WE see but no one is load. I am after my local county government commissioners, but only one listens. Still nothing happens. Can't get an appointment with the sheriff, but I keep trying. I want to give him the gospel. No Jesus in your life - Big mistake. Jesus said to believe/ trust in Him and commanded all men everywhere to repent, with a contrite heart. If you don't there will be Hell to pay in the here after as well as here. It is better when Jesus has paid your debt. So have that conversation with God in the name of His Son Jesus and ask for forgiveness in the breaking of His moral law the 10 commandments. You will know when he makes your spirit alive and gives you the Holy spirit. Eph. 2:8 and 9. You do nothing, He saves you. I am looking forward to seeing you ate the gates of Heaven one day. God bless You for reading this. You have just read the gospel. Gospel means good news.
My 30-something "neighbor" here in western OR bought 5 raw acres (for 50g a couple of years ago), and he and his gf are making a great life. They truck in water and have solar for power for now, but they want to build some day. For now, they live in an RV.
My spouse was never on board with why I have brand new windows just sitting behind a shelf in the dining room that don't fit the current home or the utility sink that's not hooked up. But I got them for like $10 ea and the dream was to build my own place some day. Unfortunately I was quite capable, but now I'm fighting physical decline, which I argue would improve if I moved to a piece of property in a cabin or van, as I would not have easy access to all the toxic frankenfoods, only what I make conscious effort to bring, or grow and I feel that i would naturally become more active. For some reason I have less pain and inflammation when we are in smaller towns or in country settings. I don't really care if it's in my head or not. I just know I feel like ever since I moved to my current home I started getting sick and feeling drained, It's a cute lil place, like a lil barn esq home in a city. I do know when they replaced transformer and smart meter both myself and spouse couldn't sleep for 2 months, so I moved the bed away from the window and that wall and added extra curtains, that helped. I'm energy sensitive to ppl around me so maybe the emf stuff too. I don't do earthing or anything with minerals or crystals, but thinking about it at this point, or just buying a short bus(with a lift)and some property what's the worse that can happen. I doubt I can lose anymore than the market right now.
@@nikkijack911 Sounds like you need to move! It's affecting your health and once that's gone......what have you got? It would be worth the money to move ....to save yourself! Imo
Just as a heads up. If you buy land with NOTHING on it, here's what it cost US to add items to it, as we aren't totally off-grid. Electric installation was $1,100. ROAD was just UNDER 10k (gravel, but done right) Septic Tank, $8k. Water, $1,200. We live on an Rv on this property, with the goal of adding a house and an apartment garage. Besides school loans, we're debt free.
Pricing entirely depends on the region though. Water/well install where we live is around $20k to $25k. Septic is $10k to $15k. Useable/flat land is around $29k/acre just to buy it. Running electrical is around $10k to $15k. So just to get 1 acre of land usable with the bare minimum you are looking at $70k and that doesn't include excavation/roughing in the driveway, etc. I'm in the PNW.
Well said - earning a paycheck is not the only way to work - learning new skills is where it's at - you grow through it and become more useful to yourself and others ❤️
Once again, it’s so refreshing to see young families, people living an off grid or a homesteading life. People used to snicker when I said I live within my means, not understanding, I guess. Making do, working towards goals, living a simple life is a wonderful way to live, not easy, however, rewarding.
I bought 5 acres of raw land March 2023, now I have a couple gardens, chickens that support themselves through egg sales, had a shed (tiny house) purpose built but Ive done the inside myself. No electricity or running water inside. I agree with all the stuff you have mentioned here. Best way to start. Well done you guys
Most people don't know how to set long term goals, the instant gratification Era is hard to escape. It took me 14 years to build my home, it was done without loans, it was super hard doing all the work pretty much alone, but I have no debt. I pretty much fabricate everything myself out of scrap, but you would never know because I make sure it looks like it was built by a high end company 😂
Right, I do think it would change if they experienced the satisfaction of a tangible accomplishment though. Most of thier instant gratification achievements, they couldn't recall, what or why it was important.
@nikkijack911 We live in a throw away society, Quality doesn't exist anymore, I decided years ago, if I can build it, I'm not buying it, everything I built, is built off grid, I have no overhead cost...Knowledge is being stolen from the public so they have to depend on government, it's criminal.
100% I was one of those people. I saved up as much money I could, bought 6 acres in Missouri, moved my kids and there, lived in buildings that were not insulated, no AC, no electricity, no water well and no plumbing.. We failed hard
@thebatmom I'm still wanting to move back there, but afraid once I buy property I won't be able to dry in and insulate a small building...i mean, maybe but I'd rather not have to finance anything. I don't like the risk of take backs. I'm smart enough and could afford a small setup, but I'm well aware of my physical limitations...in my 20s or 30s I could but I struggle with physical functions of daily life now. Keep thinking 90days carnivore can't hurt, but I just don't do it. I did buy ¼ cow tho. Sooo, shifting at least.
Great video! I am attempting to build a she shed in my backyard and it's a little scary because it's new for me, but I am a DIYer. I just told a friend that the thing I would do differently is buy marked down wood at Home Depot and cut the damaged pieces off since I cut up my full price wood. Then you dropped this video. I wish I'd known ahead of time. I'm not only attempting my own build to save money, it's just a freeing feeling. I'm a divorced single mother and I work a full time job, but have a creative mind. I love your content.
Good for you!! We are in the process of doing the same thing but ours is a major fixer upper home on 9.9 acres in California. Total dump with a bus and huge RV on the property, have no idea how to get it off the hill but it's cheap. We can garden and raise chickens. So glad for you!!! Such great advice you have to offer everyone. I am subscribed but put it to ALL so hopefully they will notify me as you have a new video.
I don't know about California, but in other states, you can call a salvage yard or a scrap metal place, and they will come take it away. Especially if it's free. 😁 Hope this may help. 🧡
To do this people need to lower their expectations in the beginning. You can't do it all at once, even if you have a big nest egg. With permits, other paperwork needed things take time. Live on the land if possible, and with temporary fencing for your animals. Find out where the wet spots are, where does the water run? Where is the best pasture? Or garden spot? Use the least valuable part of your land to build your home and other buildings. Put in your well first, then your septic later. Everything you do needs water, you can get by without a septic system for awhile or permanently. And don't overwhelm yourselves. Take things 1 step at a time, in baby steps. Having to make a "do over" or "move something" is time consuming and EXPENSIVE. After buying your land start with shelter, water, and food, then waste. All of these can be temporary. Now live there for awhile, especially if this is a new state or climate. And watch your land. It will tell you where things should go.
No they wont. Not even close. Even if they had to eat their horses they would have no freezer space to preserve it. Think this through. Most people have no idea what it will take to survive. I have a better chance than most people, but would still struggle to make it. I'm not convinced I could. With that being said, I lived like royalty through Covid. I am very prepared for bad times, just not catastrophic times.
@@doityourselflivinggardenin7986 it's about having and practicing the skills. There are ways to preserve food without power, or else our ancestors never would have made it. However, no man is an island, and if times really got bad, you'd have to know and be able to work with the people around you if you want to have a chance at survival. There is a reason humans did not grow as a solitary species - we created tribes and villages to help one another.
I bought 68 acres in the woods of Kentucky 15 years for 77k and a used dozer for 32k I select cut the timber and sold it over a few years for 80k and there’s still plenty of trees left. So sometimes you can come out better with a bigger piece of land. My land paid for itself.
My mantra through tough skill building things in my life has been, "short-term sacrifice long-term benefit". This helped me persevere through many difficult challenges. There is no better feeling than when you have persevered and are able to reap the rewards of your learned skills.
Dave Ramsey is right. Delayed gratification and short term sacrifices are necessary to achieve long term goals. Not just financially but also in terms of health and other things. My wife and I lived way below our income in our 30s, saving 80%. We decided after 40 we would take it a bit easy , then retire at 50 and not have to live too frugally. We achieved that by working very hard in our 30s, we were high income so we still had a good quality of life in terms of comforts, travel etc . But still way below our means.
I've been out of the loop on your channel for a while. Congratulations on your land/homestead development! I agree with you...learn skills, cut costs, diy, etc. That's how we've developed our homestead. God bless!
All your tips are valuable, planning and budgeting are key! I wish you the very best in this endeavor, facinated by your ability to move forward you have done so much in a short period of time! You give us lessons for life!
"Snuffy is our lawn mower." 😀 Regards to your being more observant, I saw a good idea where you make notes on a calendar regarding weather, crop planting and harvesting, germination times, when certain flowers bloom, rain totals, etc. Then the next year you have a good guide. You can't remember everything on your own.
Awesome video. Agreevwith knowing how to do and repair things. My husband and i have done so many things around our house over the past 38 years. Very satisfying. Good luck with your homesteading.
Thanks for these videos. They are inspiring. We are about to begin our off-grid adventure - only a tiny parcel, but it's something I can afford and will own 2/3 of an acre within 2 years. It's not much, but it is cheaper than renting and allows us to begin what we need to do, while watching for a larger parcel.
Thanks for your encouragement. My husband and I have 5 achers in the mountains. The most beautiful place on earth, BUT BUT BUT, The struggle of working are fingers to the bones has caused a lot of little flights. But I know the goal we have is doable. Homesteading is not for the weak for sure. Thanks again. Gonna keep trying 😊
I appreciate the story of your journey. I especially like the background in your film. Rolling hills. Seems your day to day is not a chore, rather a life style of joy within the tasks. Key is to do what is in rhythm with your joy. Cheers
So glad to have found this channel! My husband and I just bought 10 acres and are starting the process of creating a homestead and documenting our adventures on UA-cam as well. Will DEFINITELY be tuning into your videos for more helpful tips! ❤
@@raisingwildflowers thank you! I’m subscribing to homestead channels to learn more along the way! Thank you for being one of those channels to help us along the journey! ♥️♥️
I love this video. We have definitely been programmed to think that earning money at a job is the only income, that the other parts arent important etc. I took a couple weeks off work a while ago and felt like being home was a fulltime job. I got to a point where i needed what I call an 'emergency holiday', I just needed a break for my sanity. Things at home weren't getting done like I wanted so I took vacation time so I could get some cleaning done at home. It was fall so I needed to bring wood home from my Dad's before winter as well. I can see being home, living the way I want to, being a full-time job. Im still working on how to get there lol. I stupidly got a vehicle loan when I should've used insurance money to buy something outright, delaying my goal. Lessons learned. I do own my home though, I do have a little bit of property, a garden, chickens. We are working on making it more efficient and teying to do the best we can with what we have. Im so glad I came across this video and look forward to watching more.
We became debt free in 2020. We bought our house three years later 1800 miles away sight unseen. The house was a livable fixer upper and cost us less than a new car. I work as a substitute teacher to pay the few bills that we have. We are still debt and mortgage free and we love this. I cook by scratch, we have a garden, we hang our clothes out to dry, we have chickens (free eggs and fertilizer for the future!) We will also sell the extra eggs to our friends for less than anyone as long as they supply an egg crate! lol That will pay for their food making them free to keep! We want to implement a rain catchment system, get goats and rabbits and we still need to make a fire pit! My hubby is rebuilding an outbuilding into what he calls a she shed but I will be turning it into a just in case place. Our fixer upper did not have a heat source when we bought it. Insurance would not cover us if a wood stove was the only source for heat so we put in a natural gas furnace which works very well at a low cost. The she shed will have a woodstove so if we lose power we can stay in there as a back up! Katie you are so right about being able to learn new things. I love UA-cam and channels like yours that help us grow! Thank you for sharing! Stay Blessed!
You are doing such a great job. Your advice is what more people need to hear and embrace. I will put you all on my prayer list. ❤ you will be doing better in the long run then most people. 😊
Wow such good advice! Just staring out my homesteading journey. No land yet but started my first garden and making a lot of food from scratch! Want to learn a lot more and will continue to
Good advice for those who dont make much in terms of hourly wage or live in countries where labour is expensive or not easily available, to learn how to do some work themselves. For those who make a good income and are not very good at hands on stuff it may end up being cheaper to hire someone. But every homeowner can benefit from doing somethings ourselves , at least for convenience.
Thank you for sharing! This is a huge dream of mine and while we are already employing most of your advice, there was still a lot of room for improvement so thanks for the encouragement! I am planning to document my process of learning homestead skills while we are still renting. I love this way of living!
Enjoyed your tips. I have so many questions! I hope it’s ok to ask a few. Do You and hubby ever get burned out? Do you ever second guess doing this homesteading? It’s so much work! I know your feelings about living in Florida and why you left there. Do you have family like siblings, parents, or cousins that may come to help out as your homestead grows? Living this lifestyle, do you feel like your kids need to be having more socialization with kids their age? Where do you go for socialization? After working all day outside , how are you able to go inside to cook meals? Aren’t you exhausted? Lol I can’t tell you how enjoyable it is to follow your journey. Thank you!
You can cook large batches of food on rainy days when you’d rather not be outside. I vacuum seal portioned servings and freeze them. They defrost in tap water in 30 minutes.
Thanks for you being a great example for future homesteader. Your exactly right. I'm a homesteader on the Big Island of Hawaii and did the exact process your explaining to people and folks , she's definitely correct. Much Mahalo's...
This is the smart way it’s what I did so not getting overwhelmed I got my land in 2001 paid it off and switched career from accountant to truck driving because no jobs that pay more than 10.00 hr , got my property cleared, then got mobile home , then built garage, 10x28 leanto 16x28 man cave because by this time I met and married my husband, he built our front and back big porches because all I had was those chintzy stairs. We did 1 big project a year saved and paid cash, we dug tench from our power pole to leanto and across yard to man cave and garage, we couldn’t rent a trencher because we were only home for 5 days and they were already rented out so we grabbed shovels and just about killed ourselves to dig 2 ft trench 188 ft long lol holy cow that was hard! But we just kept at it because we knew we had to jump back into the semi to pay for the rest of that project.
I have land that was willed to me and recently I’ve been trying to figure out to mitigate my financial upkeep as much as possible. I’m grateful to have come across your channel. Thanks for imparting your wisdom on the world.
50 years ago I was in basically the same situation as you are now. Some things I learned: my siphon-jet type septic tank worked flawlessly when a neighbor's pump-out septic tank seemed to have constant trouble. I could have saved $10,000 if I had started with a drilled well with a 6-inch PVC well casing instead of my 2 previous wells and (and it was still going strong when we retired from country life 25 years later). A submersible well pump provided flawless service when a jet pump required constant service. We built our own house as a raised bungalow allowing large windows in the basement and an exterior door to the basement. If I was building now I would have a roof with a straight south slope for solar panels. Your preferences may vary, of course.
I was blessed with a huge promotion at my factory job (that I absolutely hate). My wife and I have been working so hard, made sacrifices, sold almost everything and bought land 200 miles away from our home in the city. My family think I’m absolutely nuts for leaving my $30+/hr job to live in the mountains and working as an independent contractor. I’m sick of working 6 days a week on midnights at a job I hate. Now we’ll have zero utility bills, my wife doesn’t have to work, and I can work when I want.
You are living the dream!!!! Good for both of you. Your stress levels will go down. You will wake up in the mornings happier, and ultimately, you will be healthier!!! I am so happy for you both. I'm seriously thinking of getting rid of everything except what I need and getting out of the rat race. I work in retail and prices are outrageous and it's our fault. Even though we have nothing to do with it. I am tired of the pitiful raises yet work like a dog and come home fall asleep. Only to do it all over again the next day. There is no decency, dignity or delight in working a job that has no gratitude at review time. Always excuses as to why they can't give you a $2.00 an hour raise much less a 1.00 raise but .40 is all they can do in a good year. I try to be upbeat and positive, but "entitled" people just take it out of you. Where's my entitlement?? Gone. Nada. Nil. Nowhere!! Like I want to be now!!! Have a great life. Enjoy. Be grateful. Be alive!!
I heard everything you said. And we are in the process of moving from pacific coast to Midwest this summer 2025. To buy land and live in our TRAVEL TRAILER we are family of 5. And you spoke everybody that is on my mind and have considered. Thank you. We are starting a UA-cam channel soon. Probably have it private first then public. Looking forward to sharing the journey with everyone. And seeing your family's journey of course.
Fantastic Video! Do everything yourself is by far my favorite tip. When you know the ins and outs of your build, set up, machinery, whatever it is. It will be so much easier to fix things, to make adjustments, and to care for. Projects big or small. Unless it's something that you absolutely need an expert for. Do it yourself. And even then, we have had plenty of of people come in for certain repairs and we always ask a ton of questions. Or ask them to show us what they are doing so next time the thing pops up we are familiar with it and can probably do ourselves.
Making a very simple plan (and sticking to it) as regards retirement living has allowed me to live 100% debt free, pay cash for EVERYTHING, put back $500 / month and ALL on ONLY my monthly social security AND I retired early, taking an 8% early-retirement PENALTY per year for 5 years. That's a 40% penalty . . . and I am still able to LIVE LIKE A KING debt free. Edit: Leaky toilet? Easy fix -- I don't have a (traditional) toilet -- nothing to leak. I use a composting toilet. 😂
I personally just ended up with a farmer friend with whom i have done business for a few years, and now I have 3 acres to work and also have 26 chickens and it is amazing.
Good tips! Living off grid is a fun challenge. You have only five years between well and home though, so there is some pressure. We set goals by years… we moved on our raw land and set goals for year one, year two, etc etc.
This video of yours really resonates with me. I like how you really break this down to people who might have this dream as well but it may seem impossible. I admire that you explain how you should be patient, take things a step at a time, and always push yourself to continually learn and improve on one's practical skills and working on becoming more of a generalist than a specialist. Being innovative and figuring out how to get things done without spending a lot of money. This is the key to becoming more independent. Enjoy the journey and all the small goals and accomplishments along the way. You can stop at the end of each day, look around you and see your progress and the beautiful place you're creating. It is what makes it all worth it. Anyone can do it if they want it bad enough and willing to put in the work. It is truly a lifestyle. I want to close by saying that I would love to meet a woman like you with your mindset and dedication.
Refreshing to hear the praises of off grid. Your land is wonderful. Suggestions: When finding land/raw: Find the area you want to live in or near. Purchase unrestricted land. Then make sure the county is not going to haunt you and your family for deciding to off grid. The area I live in is homestead awesome. No winter to speak of and 3 lovely growing seasons. Friends of ours found a great home and 15 acres for a super good price but it was in an area that the winter season typically started in September and didn’t thaw until May. Difficult to raise and grow food and your food’s food. So talk out long term goals and grow as you go. Management of your growing raising stock plan is essential. Be sure your spouse has good management and family wealth goals. I watched a family reduce their financial gains to a minus balance by becoming a animal rescue instead of a production operation. Be sure you talk this out. These are what I saw personally since 1999. Thanks.
Insurance may haunt you for off grid. Check that for heating sources. And water sources for fires. Does your town have fire water trucks and/or hydrants?
First video of yours I watched! Super impressed! Just bought my first homestead myself out towards Columbia, TN! Thanks so much for your info! New sub’d :) happy to follow local TN people!
This was a much more honest take on the reality of trying to do this. A lot of pages are flat out misleading their followers. Most of them have the income that they never needed to do this and they can always bail out if it doesnt work out for them.
Thanks for the reassurance about starting small land-wise. I originally was going to eventually purchase 2 acres once I had enough money saved up, but then I found out that if you want to heat your place by wood and don’t want to keep buying firewood each year. Getting about 7 acres of forest to be your woodlot would be advisable, something I had planned to do since I want to be as off-grid as I can get for most things. My mom is trying to convince me otherwise but I am pretty much decided that I want to heat my homestead with either firewood or solar power or maybe a combination of both. So plan on eventually getting 10 acres, which will give me 3 acres to live on and the remaining 7 acres will be my woodlot to carefully manage and care for
@@laurieclarkson9180 - I might consider that if the woodlot will support it, granted I won’t do such a thing until after I get my own winter supply stored up first
I have often lamented about how today's society makes being a jack of a trades (something I enjoy) a bad thing... but really it's just my current lifestyle laboring for someone else. you're so right and I love the perspective
I agree with everything that you said. We are learning new skills everyday and are not relying on anyone else. We only buy if we have the money. Hopefully by Sept we will be living a much simpler life and growing and preserving our own food. I'm sure we will make mistakes but we will learn as we go. Love your channel!
We don't have a home depot, lowe's, anything like that near our off-grid property. The culled lumber is a great idea for saving money on outbuildings. I will have to check our nearest lumber yard for those deals. 😊
I bought an off grid cabin in Washington county va. Has spring water fed house, 3 bedroom 2 bath. With 2 acres with a nice stream. 40, grand. Its now worth 200,000. We put it back on the electric grid. Its a wood cabin. I absolutely love living in the middle of the Appalachian mountains! Its beautiful and the people are awesome, so cheap here!! I do everything my self. However, to get this property we purchased a POS 3/4 acer trailer, with roof and floors caving in, and fixed it up, put a huge garden in, and in 2 years, we sold it for 55, and bought this free and clear, that 1st property we paid 14,000 for it. And fixed it in 2 years to get something bigger and nicer, still not our dream property, thats 10 acers at least, but to start, its paid off, taxes are 25 bucks a year. Cant beat it here. Love this area Washington county, va, people are moving in, prices are going up, but im in the county, i bought agricultural land, wouldn't buy anything but agricultural. Because were homesteading! I paid cash for this property, i was a single mom, for 10 years, but hard work, got me here. And a very very small loan to start, 20,000. That was the budget for our 1st home. And we didn't want a city home! Because they depreciate in value. So in the country is key! Even if its falling down, if foundation is good, buy, if it has water electricity sewer that works, and thats it. Those 4 things is all i needed to make a house a home. And we found it for under 20 grand, 14 to be exact, and 2 years later we bought our dream, almost, 2 acers of agricultural land. So have patience. I made my own company, for extra income. I do landscaping, cleaning and remodeling, all for 175 a day. And of course were a hire by day labor company, and its perfect for us. But i was trained, by building the ravens stadium and grocery stores when I was younger, but i turned my skills into a business. And i sell chickens, egg producing chickens, for $30 a bird. My inventory is currently at 35+ birds, for a grand total of 1700 in birds! But only if i sell them for a minimum of 35 each, but that doesn't include turkeys, ducks, geese, ect, that we have. Thats just chickens, so assets are extremely important! God bless. Have a fantastic day, if you wanna hang out, message me, im in Washington county va. Just moved here myself and don't know anyone yet. Looking to make some friends, if you're close. Peace out! Oh btw, i own Honest Mom's, find us on fb. And hit me up!
I appreciate your video! I'm also an East TN native(Maryville). Thankfully we found a place in South East TN that is just shy of 6 acres. The house is a major fixer upper but it's absolutely worth it. Your place is beautiful.
@@raisingwildflowers oh absolutely, "I'll kill ya highway" is what everyone calls it. I'm so happy to be outside of that area as it's so crowded now! I'm so thrilled I found your channel, I'm going to bungee your videos tonight 🥰
Great advice! Some don't realize the benefits you get by doing things yourself. The more you do the more you learn! So, when something goes wrong you at least have an idea on how to fix it! You don't have to pay someone else to do it for you. There will always be certain things that you might have get help with but with the internet you can always find an answer for free! lol You can go to the library if ones available and find the answers or even use the internet there for free. You can speak to others from around the world that can help......the power of the internet! lol
Thank you for this video. I really need to learn building skills and do not have what I need on my property because I have let this very thing hold me back rather than rise to the challenge.
Culled lumber at Home Depot! Definitely agree. When I see something, like the material we use for siding... in less than perfect condition, I find Glenn and he usually gets it down to culled price for me.😊
When buying land, get a good look at it first to determine, "How many of the total acres are really conducive to growing crops or raising animals. If it has boggy patches, you probably can't use those for farming or housing. Also, bear in mind that you will need to periodically rotate your crops and animals' areas. The California Dust Bowl is the big reason why crop rotation became popular in America. Also, a small backyard chicken pen can look like a moonscape within a year if the chickens are perpetually in the same spot; plus they tend to draw pests.
Living 100% off grid,alone, old, on social security. 4 years now. Been trying to find others to join me. Cheap way to live. Most don't want to make an effort or let go of the grid. Their future is very dark. Do it now, before it's too late.
I've been trying to get others to do just anything better ,and its impossible,and its insane for myself to keep it up ,so I'm too on SSI and heading your way now . I think getting a sliver of what I really want is the best thing for me at this point I'm not old but being not working even short times destroys the human body. I've done all I can with what I had to for my 2 family members but it's all they want to do is toss me out of all my work I've done here without no help. I could stay and fight but I don't care to for myself nothing is worth giving what I've already have to then live mad at the world waking up as both they do.❤ Good luck God bless !
I subbed to you and seen your " for the sheriff's" video I'm so sorry your being targeted I have to 5 years only 5 hours sleep nightly that's what else I been trying to tell people.
It's land grabbing its agenda and most sheriff's are in this behavior they break in house with cut keys to unscrew light in freezer when u go to grocery store they poach deer all year feeding them while on drug pointing a high powered rif le in my back door kitchen 30 yards back 15 feet up in a tree we took photos of his wifi with address name etc the other one I uploaded video of attempted kidnapping and assault the sheriff acted it was my 80 year old mother fault 4 sheriff they put toxins in water well pump too much to list but will say he worked as a security guard under a buddy of mine uncle whom they are related to Edwin Edwards a old mayor in New Orleans Louisiana
Everyone Thinks I’m crazy for wanting this. I’m working towards it. Congratulations
That is where I'm trying to get. I've been somewhat off grid, I have electricity. Have the same situation as otherwise as you do. Been looking for people to come together, but they don't see what's happening. Just yesterday, my youngest brother had stated he wanted to be on his own off grid. He is good at a lot of things, and if we can make this happen, it would be wonderful. If you don't mind me asking, what state are you in?
On SS 5 yrs now. working on getting back to property, I hope before summers is over. Yes the future is dark with close to 50 million illegals'. Just think what they will do to keep their 2200 a month, their free laptop, their free rent, free medical and cell phone all disappear. What kind of evil will be set lose. At 3 trillion in interest every 3 months, it should crash soon.
WE see but no one is load. I am after my local county government commissioners, but only one listens. Still nothing happens. Can't get an appointment with the sheriff, but I keep trying. I want to give him the gospel. No Jesus in your life - Big mistake. Jesus said to believe/ trust in Him and commanded all men everywhere to repent, with a contrite heart. If you don't there will be Hell to pay in the here after as well as here. It is better when Jesus has paid your debt. So have that conversation with God in the name of His Son Jesus and ask for forgiveness in the breaking of His moral law the 10 commandments. You will know when he makes your spirit alive and gives you the Holy spirit. Eph. 2:8 and 9. You do nothing, He saves you. I am looking forward to seeing you ate the gates of Heaven one day. God bless You for reading this. You have just read the gospel. Gospel means good news.
My 30-something "neighbor" here in western OR bought 5 raw acres (for 50g a couple of years ago), and he and his gf are making a great life. They truck in water and have solar for power for now, but they want to build some day. For now, they live in an RV.
What part of Oregon.
@@baileysalez4296 About 18 miles west of Eugene.....Coast Range.
How is the city not bothering them living in an rv?
@@calisingh7978Oregon is a blue state the people have more rights
@@calisingh7978 This is rural. Most are 5-acres places up in the hills.
My favorite saying is "If it's free, it's for me." Start building your materials hoard now for use later.
My cousin brings me scrap metal all the time he finds something that is decent, I'm always building with scrap metal 😂
My spouse was never on board with why I have brand new windows just sitting behind a shelf in the dining room that don't fit the current home or the utility sink that's not hooked up. But I got them for like $10 ea and the dream was to build my own place some day. Unfortunately I was quite capable, but now I'm fighting physical decline, which I argue would improve if I moved to a piece of property in a cabin or van, as I would not have easy access to all the toxic frankenfoods, only what I make conscious effort to bring, or grow and I feel that i would naturally become more active. For some reason I have less pain and inflammation when we are in smaller towns or in country settings. I don't really care if it's in my head or not. I just know I feel like ever since I moved to my current home I started getting sick and feeling drained, It's a cute lil place, like a lil barn esq home in a city. I do know when they replaced transformer and smart meter both myself and spouse couldn't sleep for 2 months, so I moved the bed away from the window and that wall and added extra curtains, that helped. I'm energy sensitive to ppl around me so maybe the emf stuff too. I don't do earthing or anything with minerals or crystals, but thinking about it at this point, or just buying a short bus(with a lift)and some property what's the worse that can happen. I doubt I can lose anymore than the market right now.
@@nikkijack911 Sounds like you need to move! It's affecting your health and once that's gone......what have you got? It would be worth the money to move ....to save yourself! Imo
Just as a heads up. If you buy land with NOTHING on it, here's what it cost US to add items to it, as we aren't totally off-grid. Electric installation was $1,100. ROAD was just UNDER 10k (gravel, but done right) Septic Tank, $8k. Water, $1,200. We live on an Rv on this property, with the goal of adding a house and an apartment garage. Besides school loans, we're debt free.
Nice!!
+ driveway, esp in the snow
Which state or region?
Pricing entirely depends on the region though. Water/well install where we live is around $20k to $25k. Septic is $10k to $15k. Useable/flat land is around $29k/acre just to buy it. Running electrical is around $10k to $15k. So just to get 1 acre of land usable with the bare minimum you are looking at $70k and that doesn't include excavation/roughing in the driveway, etc. I'm in the PNW.
@@slandshark Yep totally true!!!
Well said - earning a paycheck is not the only way to work - learning new skills is where it's at - you grow through it and become more useful to yourself and others ❤️
Once again, it’s so refreshing to see young families, people living an off grid or a homesteading life. People used to snicker when I said I live within my means, not understanding, I guess.
Making do, working towards goals, living a simple life is a wonderful way to live, not easy, however, rewarding.
I bought 5 acres of raw land March 2023, now I have a couple gardens, chickens that support themselves through egg sales, had a shed (tiny house) purpose built but Ive done the inside myself. No electricity or running water inside. I agree with all the stuff you have mentioned here. Best way to start. Well done you guys
Your family shows how it can be done without compromising health and happiness. Well done.
Most people don't know how to set long term goals, the instant gratification Era is hard to escape. It took me 14 years to build my home, it was done without loans, it was super hard doing all the work pretty much alone, but I have no debt. I pretty much fabricate everything myself out of scrap, but you would never know because I make sure it looks like it was built by a high end company 😂
Right, I do think it would change if they experienced the satisfaction of a tangible accomplishment though. Most of thier instant gratification achievements, they couldn't recall, what or why it was important.
@nikkijack911 We live in a throw away society, Quality doesn't exist anymore, I decided years ago, if I can build it, I'm not buying it, everything I built, is built off grid, I have no overhead cost...Knowledge is being stolen from the public so they have to depend on government, it's criminal.
100% I was one of those people. I saved up as much money I could, bought 6 acres in Missouri, moved my kids and there, lived in buildings that were not insulated, no AC, no electricity, no water well and no plumbing.. We failed hard
@thebatmom I'm still wanting to move back there, but afraid once I buy property I won't be able to dry in and insulate a small building...i mean, maybe but I'd rather not have to finance anything. I don't like the risk of take backs. I'm smart enough and could afford a small setup, but I'm well aware of my physical limitations...in my 20s or 30s I could but I struggle with physical functions of daily life now. Keep thinking 90days carnivore can't hurt, but I just don't do it. I did buy ¼ cow tho. Sooo, shifting at least.
@@thebatmom how long did yall last there?
Great video! I am attempting to build a she shed in my backyard and it's a little scary because it's new for me, but I am a DIYer. I just told a friend that the thing I would do differently is buy marked down wood at Home Depot and cut the damaged pieces off since I cut up my full price wood. Then you dropped this video. I wish I'd known ahead of time. I'm not only attempting my own build to save money, it's just a freeing feeling. I'm a divorced single mother and I work a full time job, but have a creative mind. I love your content.
Yes 🙌 You will be so proud of yourself for all the hard work and learning ❤️🔨 You can do it 💪
The part about new skills was really inspiring
Like with fishing 🐠😁
Water catchment system is my favorite, keep the basement dry and have a water supply.
Loved what you eating out and cooking from scratch and childcare are forms of income. You were spot on !!
This!
Good for you!! We are in the process of doing the same thing but ours is a major fixer upper home on 9.9 acres in California. Total dump with a bus and huge RV on the property, have no idea how to get it off the hill but it's cheap. We can garden and raise chickens. So glad for you!!! Such great advice you have to offer everyone. I am subscribed but put it to ALL so hopefully they will notify me as you have a new video.
I don't know about California, but in other states, you can call a salvage yard or a scrap metal place, and they will come take it away. Especially if it's free. 😁
Hope this may help. 🧡
Where did you score a good find like that ??
We had a friend that turned a old rv into a chicken house and another friend turned a old trailor house into a chicken house.
I appreciate your comment about work/income contributions outside of corporate paychecks that are of financial value.
To do this people need to lower their expectations in the beginning. You can't do it all at once, even if you have a big nest egg.
With permits, other paperwork needed things take time. Live on the land if possible, and with temporary fencing for your animals. Find out where the wet spots are, where does the water run? Where is the best pasture? Or garden spot? Use the least valuable part of your land to build your home and other buildings. Put in your well first, then your septic later. Everything you do needs water, you can get by without a septic system for awhile or permanently.
And don't overwhelm yourselves. Take things 1 step at a time, in baby steps. Having to make a "do over" or "move something" is time consuming and EXPENSIVE.
After buying your land start with shelter, water, and food, then waste. All of these can be temporary. Now live there for awhile, especially if this is a new state or climate. And watch your land. It will tell you where things should go.
People such as you will make it when times are so hard .
No they wont. Not even close. Even if they had to eat their horses they would have no freezer space to preserve it. Think this through. Most people have no idea what it will take to survive. I have a better chance than most people, but would still struggle to make it. I'm not convinced I could. With that being said, I lived like royalty through Covid. I am very prepared for bad times, just not catastrophic times.
exsactly
@@doityourselflivinggardenin7986salt, preserves meat. No refrigerator needed
@@doityourselflivinggardenin7986 it's about having and practicing the skills. There are ways to preserve food without power, or else our ancestors never would have made it. However, no man is an island, and if times really got bad, you'd have to know and be able to work with the people around you if you want to have a chance at survival. There is a reason humans did not grow as a solitary species - we created tribes and villages to help one another.
I bought 68 acres in the woods of Kentucky 15 years for 77k and a used dozer for 32k I select cut the timber and sold it over a few years for 80k and there’s still plenty of trees left. So sometimes you can come out better with a bigger piece of land. My land paid for itself.
Sold the bulldozer for $80,000? Good move! 👏
@@mycrazyfamilyidhe cut the trees and then sold them to basically pay for the land
My mantra through tough skill building things in my life has been, "short-term sacrifice long-term benefit". This helped me persevere through many difficult challenges. There is no better feeling than when you have persevered and are able to reap the rewards of your learned skills.
I am in my late 50s and you inspire me. Being efficient a great tip! Love your channel!
My favorite tip always keep learning my tip don't pay any attention to the haters
I absolutely love your channel ❤ it’s the little things like you said as a single mum I had to learn plumbing and do my own yard work to save money 💴
Dave Ramsey is right. Delayed gratification and short term sacrifices are necessary to achieve long term goals. Not just financially but also in terms of health and other things. My wife and I lived way below our income in our 30s, saving 80%. We decided after 40 we would take it a bit easy , then retire at 50 and not have to live too frugally. We achieved that by working very hard in our 30s, we were high income so we still had a good quality of life in terms of comforts, travel etc . But still way below our means.
That's not Dave Ramsey, it's science.
I love your mindset from the 5 to 7 min mark! Hope to see a lot more videos in the future :)
I've been out of the loop on your channel for a while. Congratulations on your land/homestead development!
I agree with you...learn skills, cut costs, diy, etc. That's how we've developed our homestead.
God bless!
All your tips are valuable, planning and budgeting are key! I wish you the very best in this endeavor, facinated by your ability to move forward you have done so much in a short period of time! You give us lessons for life!
"Snuffy is our lawn mower." 😀
Regards to your being more observant, I saw a good idea where you make notes on a calendar regarding weather, crop planting and harvesting, germination times, when certain flowers bloom, rain totals, etc. Then the next year you have a good guide. You can't remember everything on your own.
Awesome video. Agreevwith knowing how to do and repair things. My husband and i have done so many things around our house over the past 38 years. Very satisfying. Good luck with your homesteading.
my husband loves watching your videos
You have a lot of wisdom when it comes to finances. Very impressive. I’m sure you will be successful at achieving your dreams.
Thanks for these videos. They are inspiring. We are about to begin our off-grid adventure - only a tiny parcel, but it's something I can afford and will own 2/3 of an acre within 2 years. It's not much, but it is cheaper than renting and allows us to begin what we need to do, while watching for a larger parcel.
Thanks for your encouragement. My husband and I have 5 achers in the mountains. The most beautiful place on earth, BUT BUT BUT, The struggle of working are fingers to the bones has caused a lot of little flights. But I know the goal we have is doable. Homesteading is not for the weak for sure. Thanks again. Gonna keep trying 😊
I appreciate the story of your journey. I especially like the background in your film. Rolling hills. Seems your day to day is not a chore, rather a life style of joy within the tasks. Key is to do what is in rhythm with your joy. Cheers
So glad to have found this channel! My husband and I just bought 10 acres and are starting the process of creating a homestead and documenting our adventures on UA-cam as well. Will DEFINITELY be tuning into your videos for more helpful tips! ❤
Congrats on your new property and future homestead!❤️
@@raisingwildflowers thank you! I’m subscribing to homestead channels to learn more along the way! Thank you for being one of those channels to help us along the journey! ♥️♥️
I love this video. We have definitely been programmed to think that earning money at a job is the only income, that the other parts arent important etc. I took a couple weeks off work a while ago and felt like being home was a fulltime job. I got to a point where i needed what I call an 'emergency holiday', I just needed a break for my sanity. Things at home weren't getting done like I wanted so I took vacation time so I could get some cleaning done at home. It was fall so I needed to bring wood home from my Dad's before winter as well. I can see being home, living the way I want to, being a full-time job. Im still working on how to get there lol. I stupidly got a vehicle loan when I should've used insurance money to buy something outright, delaying my goal. Lessons learned. I do own my home though, I do have a little bit of property, a garden, chickens. We are working on making it more efficient and teying to do the best we can with what we have. Im so glad I came across this video and look forward to watching more.
Snuffy looks so healthy now. I hope you are feeling better.🌻
I am!
We became debt free in 2020. We bought our house three years later 1800 miles away sight unseen. The house was a livable fixer upper and cost us less than a new car. I work as a substitute teacher to pay the few bills that we have. We are still debt and mortgage free and we love this. I cook by scratch, we have a garden, we hang our clothes out to dry, we have chickens (free eggs and fertilizer for the future!) We will also sell the extra eggs to our friends for less than anyone as long as they supply an egg crate! lol That will pay for their food making them free to keep!
We want to implement a rain catchment system, get goats and rabbits and we still need to make a fire pit! My hubby is rebuilding an outbuilding into what he calls a she shed but I will be turning it into a just in case place. Our fixer upper did not have a heat source when we bought it. Insurance would not cover us if a wood stove was the only source for heat so we put in a natural gas furnace which works very well at a low cost. The she shed will have a woodstove so if we lose power we can stay in there as a back up!
Katie you are so right about being able to learn new things. I love UA-cam and channels like yours that help us grow! Thank you for sharing! Stay Blessed!
You are doing such a great job. Your advice is what more people need to hear and embrace. I will put you all on my prayer list.
❤ you will be doing better in the long run then most people.
😊
Great recommendations! This is smart content and will go a long way in guiding the serious listener. Thanks.
I’d love to see how your garden is doing. Thank you for your videos. It’s great to see your family not following the norm!
Saving money building it urself good way of living.
Wow such good advice! Just staring out my homesteading journey. No land yet but started my first garden and making a lot of food from scratch! Want to learn a lot more and will continue to
Nice honest talk. Thank you
Good advice for those who dont make much in terms of hourly wage or live in countries where labour is expensive or not easily available, to learn how to do some work themselves. For those who make a good income and are not very good at hands on stuff it may end up being cheaper to hire someone. But every homeowner can benefit from doing somethings ourselves , at least for convenience.
Snuffy is so cute when he photobombs! Lots of good advice in this one.
I absolutely adore you, this advice is gold to me
"Snuffy is our lawnmower" Love it! 💛
Your advice is spot on, as always.
Doing everything yourself is a great tip. We are always learning new skills. That's why I'm watching you.
Thank you for sharing! This is a huge dream of mine and while we are already employing most of your advice, there was still a lot of room for improvement so thanks for the encouragement! I am planning to document my process of learning homestead skills while we are still renting. I love this way of living!
Enjoyed your tips.
I have so many questions! I hope it’s ok to ask a few.
Do You and hubby ever get burned out? Do you ever second guess doing this homesteading? It’s so much work! I know your feelings about living in Florida and why you left there.
Do you have family like siblings, parents, or cousins that may come to help out as your homestead grows?
Living this lifestyle, do you feel like your kids need to be having more socialization with kids their age? Where do you go for socialization?
After working all day outside , how are you able to go inside to cook meals? Aren’t you exhausted? Lol
I can’t tell you how enjoyable it is to follow your journey. Thank you!
You can cook large batches of food on rainy days when you’d rather not be outside. I vacuum seal portioned servings and freeze them. They defrost in tap water in 30 minutes.
@@Wakeywhodat that takes electricity and a freezer
Thanks for you being a great example for future homesteader. Your exactly right. I'm a homesteader on the Big Island of Hawaii and did the exact process your explaining to people and folks , she's definitely correct.
Much Mahalo's...
I use a lot of bamboo, people are always giving it away. And watch Homestead Rescue, they have the best tips and ideas 😊
I was always told to start one big thing once a year within reason, so last year was chickens and this year is bees
This is the smart way it’s what I did so not getting overwhelmed I got my land in 2001 paid it off and switched career from accountant to truck driving because no jobs that pay more than 10.00 hr , got my property cleared, then got mobile home , then built garage, 10x28 leanto 16x28 man cave because by this time I met and married my husband, he built our front and back big porches because all I had was those chintzy stairs. We did 1 big project a year saved and paid cash, we dug tench from our power pole to leanto and across yard to man cave and garage, we couldn’t rent a trencher because we were only home for 5 days and they were already rented out so we grabbed shovels and just about killed ourselves to dig 2 ft trench 188 ft long lol holy cow that was hard! But we just kept at it because we knew we had to jump back into the semi to pay for the rest of that project.
Snuffy is looking really healthy! Good on you!
I have land that was willed to me and recently I’ve been trying to figure out to mitigate my financial upkeep as much as possible. I’m grateful to have come across your channel. Thanks for imparting your wisdom on the world.
Thoughtful and practical advice. Hope all is well little sis! ❤
Good info,will have to check out some of your other videos. Nice to see like minded people.
50 years ago I was in basically the same situation as you are now. Some things I learned: my siphon-jet type septic tank worked flawlessly when a neighbor's pump-out septic tank seemed to have constant trouble. I could have saved $10,000 if I had started with a drilled well with a 6-inch PVC well casing instead of my 2 previous wells and (and it was still going strong when we retired from country life 25 years later). A submersible well pump provided flawless service when a jet pump required constant service. We built our own house as a raised bungalow allowing large windows in the basement and an exterior door to the basement. If I was building now I would have a roof with a straight south slope for solar panels. Your preferences may vary, of course.
Can you do a video about how to make a rainwater harvesting system, please?
Would love that too
I was blessed with a huge promotion at my factory job (that I absolutely hate). My wife and I have been working so hard, made sacrifices, sold almost everything and bought land 200 miles away from our home in the city. My family think I’m absolutely nuts for leaving my $30+/hr job to live in the mountains and working as an independent contractor.
I’m sick of working 6 days a week on midnights at a job I hate. Now we’ll have zero utility bills, my wife doesn’t have to work, and I can work when I want.
You are living the dream!!!! Good for both of you. Your stress levels will go down. You will wake up in the mornings happier, and ultimately, you will be healthier!!! I am so happy for you both. I'm seriously thinking of getting rid of everything except what I need and getting out of the rat race. I work in retail and prices are outrageous and it's our fault. Even though we have nothing to do with it. I am tired of the pitiful raises yet work like a dog and come home fall asleep. Only to do it all over again the next day. There is no decency, dignity or delight in working a job that has no gratitude at review time. Always excuses as to why they can't give you a $2.00 an hour raise much less a 1.00 raise but .40 is all they can do in a good year. I try to be upbeat and positive, but "entitled" people just take it out of you. Where's my entitlement?? Gone. Nada. Nil. Nowhere!! Like I want to be now!!! Have a great life. Enjoy. Be grateful. Be alive!!
@@mkchris9154 Thank you! Corporate America is a greedy monster these days. Got us feeling like free range humans on a tax farm.
I heard everything you said. And we are in the process of moving from pacific coast to Midwest this summer 2025. To buy land and live in our TRAVEL TRAILER we are family of 5. And you spoke everybody that is on my mind and have considered. Thank you. We are starting a UA-cam channel soon. Probably have it private first then public. Looking forward to sharing the journey with everyone. And seeing your family's journey of course.
Congrats!!! That sounds so similar to us! A huge move like that is exciting and a bit scary ... but mostly exciting 😊 Enjoy the journey!
Raw land is I expensive but takes a lot of time to establish. I know it’s hard but it’s worth it . Great Video
Fantastic Video! Do everything yourself is by far my favorite tip. When you know the ins and outs of your build, set up, machinery, whatever it is. It will be so much easier to fix things, to make adjustments, and to care for. Projects big or small. Unless it's something that you absolutely need an expert for. Do it yourself. And even then, we have had plenty of of people come in for certain repairs and we always ask a ton of questions. Or ask them to show us what they are doing so next time the thing pops up we are familiar with it and can probably do ourselves.
Looking forward to hear what you've spent so far it will give a person a idea what to expect
Yes, how much you have spent on the homestead
Making a very simple plan (and sticking to it) as regards retirement living has allowed me to live 100% debt free, pay cash for EVERYTHING, put back $500 / month and ALL on ONLY my monthly social security AND I retired early, taking an 8% early-retirement PENALTY per year for 5 years. That's a 40% penalty . . . and I am still able to LIVE LIKE A KING debt free.
Edit: Leaky toilet?
Easy fix -- I don't have a (traditional) toilet -- nothing to leak.
I use a composting toilet. 😂
I personally just ended up with a farmer friend with whom i have done business for a few years, and now I have 3 acres to work and also have 26 chickens and it is amazing.
Good tips! Living off grid is a fun challenge. You have only five years between well and home though, so there is some pressure. We set goals by years… we moved on our raw land and set goals for year one, year two, etc etc.
This video of yours really resonates with me. I like how you really break this down to people who might have this dream as well but it may seem impossible. I admire that you explain how you should be patient, take things a step at a time, and always push yourself to continually learn and improve on one's practical skills and working on becoming more of a generalist than a specialist. Being innovative and figuring out how to get things done without spending a lot of money. This is the key to becoming more independent. Enjoy the journey and all the small goals and accomplishments along the way. You can stop at the end of each day, look around you and see your progress and the beautiful place you're creating. It is what makes it all worth it. Anyone can do it if they want it bad enough and willing to put in the work. It is truly a lifestyle. I want to close by saying that I would love to meet a woman like you with your mindset and dedication.
Refreshing to hear the praises of off grid. Your land is wonderful.
Suggestions: When finding land/raw: Find the area you want to live in or near. Purchase unrestricted land. Then make sure the county is not going to haunt you and your family for deciding to off grid. The area I live in is homestead awesome. No winter to speak of and 3 lovely growing seasons. Friends of ours found a great home and 15 acres for a super good price but it was in an area that the winter season typically started in September and didn’t thaw until May. Difficult to raise and grow food and your food’s food. So talk out long term goals and grow as you go. Management of your growing raising stock plan is essential. Be sure your spouse has good management and family wealth goals. I watched a family reduce their financial gains to a minus balance by becoming a animal rescue instead of a production operation. Be sure you talk this out. These are what I saw personally since 1999. Thanks.
Insurance may haunt you for off grid. Check that for heating sources. And water sources for fires. Does your town have fire water trucks and/or hydrants?
Awesome! Just bought 34 acres in Tennessee and can’t wait to get started homesteading! Even started our own UA-cam channel to document it all.
Which county is best in Tennessee?
Im so motivated by you!! new subbie and I love your realness
First video of yours I watched! Super impressed! Just bought my first homestead myself out towards Columbia, TN! Thanks so much for your info! New sub’d :) happy to follow local TN people!
This was a much more honest take on the reality of trying to do this. A lot of pages are flat out misleading their followers. Most of them have the income that they never needed to do this and they can always bail out if it doesnt work out for them.
Thanks for the reassurance about starting small land-wise.
I originally was going to eventually purchase 2 acres once I had enough money saved up, but then I found out that if you want to heat your place by wood and don’t want to keep buying firewood each year.
Getting about 7 acres of forest to be your woodlot would be advisable, something I had planned to do since I want to be as off-grid as I can get for most things.
My mom is trying to convince me otherwise but I am pretty much decided that I want to heat my homestead with either firewood or solar power or maybe a combination of both.
So plan on eventually getting 10 acres, which will give me 3 acres to live on and the remaining 7 acres will be my woodlot to carefully manage and care for
I saw a couple that sold timber on their property and it paid for half the property!
@@laurieclarkson9180 - I might consider that if the woodlot will support it, granted I won’t do such a thing until after I get my own winter supply stored up first
I have often lamented about how today's society makes being a jack of a trades (something I enjoy) a bad thing... but really it's just my current lifestyle laboring for someone else. you're so right and I love the perspective
I agree with everything that you said. We are learning new skills everyday and are not relying on anyone else. We only buy if we have the money. Hopefully by Sept we will be living a much simpler life and growing and preserving our own food. I'm sure we will make mistakes but we will learn as we go. Love your channel!
We don't have a home depot, lowe's, anything like that near our off-grid property. The culled lumber is a great idea for saving money on outbuildings. I will have to check our nearest lumber yard for those deals. 😊
Thank you for doing this video. More of us need to make beginner videos, or even tutorials on how to start
I bought an off grid cabin in Washington county va. Has spring water fed house, 3 bedroom 2 bath. With 2 acres with a nice stream. 40, grand. Its now worth 200,000. We put it back on the electric grid. Its a wood cabin. I absolutely love living in the middle of the Appalachian mountains! Its beautiful and the people are awesome, so cheap here!! I do everything my self. However, to get this property we purchased a POS 3/4 acer trailer, with roof and floors caving in, and fixed it up, put a huge garden in, and in 2 years, we sold it for 55, and bought this free and clear, that 1st property we paid 14,000 for it. And fixed it in 2 years to get something bigger and nicer, still not our dream property, thats 10 acers at least, but to start, its paid off, taxes are 25 bucks a year. Cant beat it here. Love this area Washington county, va, people are moving in, prices are going up, but im in the county, i bought agricultural land, wouldn't buy anything but agricultural. Because were homesteading! I paid cash for this property, i was a single mom, for 10 years, but hard work, got me here. And a very very small loan to start, 20,000. That was the budget for our 1st home. And we didn't want a city home! Because they depreciate in value. So in the country is key! Even if its falling down, if foundation is good, buy, if it has water electricity sewer that works, and thats it. Those 4 things is all i needed to make a house a home. And we found it for under 20 grand, 14 to be exact, and 2 years later we bought our dream, almost, 2 acers of agricultural land. So have patience. I made my own company, for extra income. I do landscaping, cleaning and remodeling, all for 175 a day. And of course were a hire by day labor company, and its perfect for us. But i was trained, by building the ravens stadium and grocery stores when I was younger, but i turned my skills into a business. And i sell chickens, egg producing chickens, for $30 a bird. My inventory is currently at 35+ birds, for a grand total of 1700 in birds! But only if i sell them for a minimum of 35 each, but that doesn't include turkeys, ducks, geese, ect, that we have. Thats just chickens, so assets are extremely important! God bless. Have a fantastic day, if you wanna hang out, message me, im in Washington county va. Just moved here myself and don't know anyone yet. Looking to make some friends, if you're close. Peace out! Oh btw, i own Honest Mom's, find us on fb. And hit me up!
Love your videos ❤🎉
Solid advice all around.. step back when you make a mistake and learn from it!!
I just moved to border of Western Kentucky and western Tennessee and fixing up a tinyhouse offgrid and learning as I go
I appreciate your video! I'm also an East TN native(Maryville). Thankfully we found a place in South East TN that is just shy of 6 acres. The house is a major fixer upper but it's absolutely worth it.
Your place is beautiful.
❤️ Congrats!! I love Maryville (minus Alcoa Hwy 😂)
@@raisingwildflowers oh absolutely, "I'll kill ya highway" is what everyone calls it.
I'm so happy to be outside of that area as it's so crowded now! I'm so thrilled I found your channel, I'm going to bungee your videos tonight 🥰
Great video! We're planning on starting a homestead in a few years and you shared some very valuable tips and insights.
Great advice! Some don't realize the benefits you get by doing things yourself. The more you do the more you learn! So, when something goes wrong you at least have an idea on how to fix it! You don't have to pay someone else to do it for you. There will always be certain things that you might have get help with but with the internet you can always find an answer for free! lol You can go to the library if ones available and find the answers or even use the internet there for free. You can speak to others from around the world that can help......the power of the internet! lol
You stated fact ! We are trapped in a system ! Lady ❤ this is what’s up ! Fire 🔥 channel !!! Keep teaching please 🙏🏽 this is the wave 2025
My first time here at your channel and I must say those are excellent tips thank you.
Loving your channel! Very informative and touch on so many good points!
Thank you! I needed to hear this!
What a great video! Yes learn to do repairs yourself. Snuffy is your lawnmower hehe
I love this. :)
We have purchased almost everything on marketplace: land, camper, mower, tractor with attachments. Going to try do a shallow well next
Oh cool! We are looking at some locations in Duffield for ours, not too far!
Tha I you for sharing your journey and valuable insights!
Thank you for this video. I really need to learn building skills and do not have what I need on my property because I have let this very thing hold me back rather than rise to the challenge.
Culled lumber at Home Depot! Definitely agree.
When I see something, like the material we use for siding... in less than perfect condition, I find Glenn and he usually gets it down to culled price for me.😊
When buying land, get a good look at it first to determine, "How many of the total acres are really conducive to growing crops or raising animals. If it has boggy patches, you probably can't use those for farming or housing.
Also, bear in mind that you will need to periodically rotate your crops and animals' areas. The California Dust Bowl is the big reason why crop rotation became popular in America. Also, a small backyard chicken pen can look like a moonscape within a year if the chickens are perpetually in the same spot; plus they tend to draw pests.
Liked and Subscribed. I really enjoyed the video. I grew up this way, learn more everyday.
*Good Lucky! Gonna need it. farming is difficult.*
Beautiful land to homestead on !